Picking up a new Marian Keyes book is always a pleasure. One of Ireland’s best contemporary writers today there is always something a bit quirky in Keyes’ stories. Beautifully written they are always teeming with larger than life characters and the kind of people that you wish you knew in real life.
Amy runs a PR agency in Dublin with her two business partners. She has a chaotic but happy life with husband Hugh and their extended family. Oldest daughter Neeve is from her first ill fated marriage to a professional footballer, second daughter Kiera was a surprise arrival from her fledgling relationship with Hugh and unofficially adopted niece Sofie who spends more time at their house than she does with either of her parents.
Hugh has been struggling emotionally since the death of his father and when he loses his best friend as well it just makes the situation even more unbearable. His mid-life crisis mode kicks in and he tells Amy that he is going away for six months “to find himself”. Six months off from his marriage travelling in Asia so that he can find the real Hugh.
Naturally Amy is devastated as her husband packs up and prepares for his “Break”. She is left behind with the gossiping friends, the financial struggles and three girls to steer through the ensuing chaos. Amy is trying to be understanding and not to hate Hugh as he struggles through his mental health issues but when compromising photos of him and a young woman in Thailand appear on Facebook that situation is about to change.
Keyes’ stories always have such a richness to the characters that they just leap off the page at you. Who could fail to love LOCMOF (Lilian O’Connell, Mother of Five) matriarch of the family and up and coming VLogger!
The Break is the perfect book to curl up with now that the evenings are starting to draw in. Lose yourself in the madness of this Dublin household coming to terms with loss and change.
Supplied by Net Galley and Penguin in exchange for an honest review.
UK Publication Date: Sept 7 2017. 400 pages.
Categories: 5 Stars Book Review
angelnet69
Prolific reader, enthusiastic theatre and movie-goer and ex-Olivier Awards judge who spent twenty years working in the music industry in London. Sharing my house with a gorgeous cockapoo called Harry who has taken over completely.
I love sharing my favourite books with friends - nearly always spoiler-free as I hate reading a synopsis of the whole book in other reviews.
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I, too, have read several of Marian Keyes’s books and enjoyed them. Thanks for your thoughts on this new book of hers 🙂
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Glad it helped. If you’ve enjoyed her other books this is definitely more of the same. Moving and emotional at times and laugh out loud funny at the same time.
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